NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Val Oveson Chief Information Officer Governor's Office 801-538-1758 Amy Sawyer Utah Interactive 801-983-0275 amy@utahinteractive.org

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – November 5, 2004 – Utah's OneStop Business Registration, an unprecedented online business system, won second place in a nationwide IT competition, beating out 17 other states for the coveted award. The competition, sponsored annually by the National Association of Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), recognizes the state IT programs and systems that have created proven, cost effective, and innovative solutions in the operation of state government. This year, the competition received 120 nominations from 36 states; winners were selected in eight categories.

Utah was the first state in the nation to introduce OneStop Business Registration, an online business registration system that incorporates federal, state, and local agency requirements into one streamlined process. In its first year of operation, OneStop Business Registration processed over 13,000 business registrations; 8,808 completed registrations, 5,086 registrations in process. OneStop can be found through the state's official Web site at www.Utah.gov or directly through Utah's business portal at http://business.utah.gov/registration.

"In the business world, time equals money," said Utah Governor Olene S. Walker. "We've taken a complicated and time-consuming offline process and turned it into a fast and easy-to-understand online service, which is exactly how eGovernment should be supporting our state."

Utah's Chief Information Officer Val Oveson agrees. "As a member of NASCIO, I believe government needs to use the Web to streamline service in a way that best serves constituents. The business community in Utah made it clear they wanted a ‘one-stop shop' for business registration, and, I'm proud to say that we have delivered an award-winning service."

In the past, Utah companies were required to file documents with seven different government entities in order to be officially registered, and the process often took weeks or months to complete. Now, with OneStop Business Registration, businesses can register electronically with the necessary federal and state agencies as well as initiate business licensing procedures with local government – all in about an hour.

About Utah.gov
Utah.gov is the state of Utah's official Web portal (www.Utah.gov) and was ranked first in the nation in the Center for Digital Government's 2003 Best of the Web competition. The portal is a collaborative effort between the state of Utah and Utah Interactive, LLC. It was built and is marketed, operated, and maintained by Utah Interactive, a Salt Lake City-based wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).

About NIC
NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 1,500 state and local agencies that serve more than 51 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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